


Tony and the Radio

by RedHeadedWoman



Series: 52 Stories in 52 Weeks [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Sentient robots, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is a genius, Tony will not be beaten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5739040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadedWoman/pseuds/RedHeadedWoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony will not be beaten by some stupid piece of tech. Never ever. </p>
<p>(Okay, maybe this thing will beat him.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tony and the Radio

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt for week two was a story about rising to a challenge.

‘I can do this.’ Tony muttered to himself.

‘Of course you can, sir.’ JARVIS agreed. Tony ignored the AI. Instead he poked at the guts of the stupid radio Steve insisted on using. The thing had been built in the late 2000s and Steve refused to use anything else to play music. The damn thing had decided it didn’t want to play CDs. Not that anyone but Steve used CDs anymore.  

Tony wanted to smash it with a hammer.

Or drop it off the roof.

Why the man didn’t just ask JARVIS to play the music was beyond Tony. But if Steve wanted an honest to god CD player, then that’s what the man was going to get.

‘It’s testing me.’ Tony decided. JARVIS stayed suspiciously silent. Tony dropped his screwdriver onto the bench and walked away from the useless radio. He was an engineer, a mechanic, an expert on astrophysics. He had six PhDs and was about to get the seventh. He was Iron Man for fuck’s sake. A stupid radio/CD player shouldn’t be so beyond him.

‘What d’you reckon, DUM-E? Should I give up and just buy Steve a new radio? He’d probably be disappointed though,’ Tony dropped onto the couch with DUM-E’s claw resting in his lap. Tony patted the arm, half  listening to DUM-E’s incessant chirping and beeping.  

‘Sir, DUM-E would like me to inform you that the radio’s problem is the CD spinner.’

‘Of course it’s the CD spinner. The damn thing won’t,’ Tony flapped a hand. ‘Spin.’ He finished lamely.

‘Perhaps your best option is to remove the tray to discover if there is something blocking the … spinner.’ JARVIS said, sounding decidedly unhappy with the term for the spinning thing.

‘Already tried that, J. Nothing’s blocking the stupid thing and all the wires are connected. It should be working. I can’t find a fucking thing wrong with it. The damn CDs just won’t play.’ Tony hauled himself off the couch and returned to the dreaded machine. Everything should be working fine with it but it was refusing to do anything even remotely useful. It didn’t even pick up any radio stations.

‘Sir, Captain Rogers is coming.’ JARVIS warned. Tony swore under his breath. He was meant to have it fixed by now. He ripped out the spinny thing again and began poking around. He needed to at least look as if he was working on it.

‘Tony?’ Steve came in, looking around the lab like it was the most amazing thing. It was the same every time he came in. Tony loved it.

‘Steve. I have something to admit,’

‘Oh? What’s wrong?’ Steve joined him at the bench, glancing at the half-disassembled radio.

‘I have been defeated. By a CD player.’ Tony admitted. Steve stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Tony, mature adult he was, thank you very much, huffed and crossed his arms. ‘Glad I amuse you so much.’

‘Tony. I’m not laughing you. Well, okay, I am laughing at you but I don’t mean it.’ Steve said, smiling. Tony hated that smile. It said I’m an angel, trust me. Never trust Steve Rogers. The man was not an angel.

‘Wonderful.’

‘Tony, that thing hasn’t worked in weeks. I didn’t expect you to fix it but you said that you’d absolutely be able to.’

Tony frowned. ‘Fuck it. I am better than a CD player and it will be fixed. Get out, Rogers. Science must happen.’

‘Tony, you really don’t -’

‘Hush, Capsicle. I will rise above the CD player and I will triumph.’

‘Fine,’ Steve sighed. ‘I’ll keep checking on you. Don’t hurt yourself.’ Steve patted Tony’s shoulder and left him alone.

‘J, turn up the music. No interruptions till I’m done.’

‘Yes, Sir.’

…

‘I have triumphed.’ Tony declared to the the kitchen, though it was Steve he held the radio out to. Tony had spent the better part two days working on the machine and was pretty proud of what he’d managed. Steve would be too. Tony watched in fascination as Steve realised what the hell Tony was talking about.

‘You fixed it?’ Steve eventually asked.

‘Fixed it? I made it better.’ Tony pressed the radio into Steve’s hands.

‘You know you’re bleeding, right? From your neck?’ Clint asked, pointing at his own neck.

Tony waved him off. ‘There was a minor incident with a screwdriver. It’s fine. I fixed it.’ Tony thought this needed repeating ‘cause Steve didn’t seem to be getting it.

‘Why does it look different?’ Steve asked, turning it over in his hands.

‘Because I made it better,’ Tony repeated, cocking his head. Why wasn’t Steve excited? ‘It was broken and now it’s not. It’s better. Look.’ Tony reached out and tapped the box in the centre of the CD tray lid. The entire thing shifted in Steve’s hands.

Legs sprouted its underside and twitched uselessly in the air. Soft music emanated from its superior speakers, which meant the music was probably louder than it would’ve been on a normal player.

‘You gave it … legs.’ Steve said.

Tony frowned. ‘You don’t like her?’

‘Her?’

‘Or him. Or neither. Whatever. It’s your CD player.’ Tony shrugged.

‘Oh.’ Steve looked like he wasn’t sure what to do with a sentient radio. Tony didn’t really know what he should do with it either. ‘She’s great, Tony. Thank you.’

‘Stark made a sentient radio,’ Natasha sounded unimpressed. ‘Wonderful. Will it play music Steve hates?’

‘No. Why would she do that?’

‘So she’s not temperamental then? Like the waffle maker?’ Natasha glanced at said waffle maker which was quietly sitting on the bench waiting for it’s next unsuspecting victim. Tony could only hope it would be Coulson. Or Fury. Either was good.

Steve still didn’t look very impressed. Tony wasn’t sure why. The CD player worked and was better than it had ever been. Around them, the others seemed to sense something and stood almost as one to leave the kitchen.

‘Steve? If you don’t like it, I can change it back to how it was. I could break it again.’ Tony offered, confused by Steve’s reaction.

‘No!’ Steve said, grabbing Tony’s arm. ‘I mean, no, thank you, Tony. I have no idea what to make of this.’ Steve admitted. ‘Sorry.’

‘No, no, no. Don’t be sorry. She’s clever. Look,’ Tony reached out and started turning up the volume. When he got to certain level, the machine beeped at him. ‘See, she’s warning you that it’s getting too loud. The warning level is set at the highest Clint’s hearing aids can handle. Once it hits yours, she’ll automatically cut out.’ Tony demonstrated by turning the dial all the way. The machine began beeping almost continuously until the music cut off.

‘That’s pretty impressive,’ Steve admitted. ‘I can still use my CDs?’

‘Don’t know why you have them but yeah, you can play CDs or plug your phone or iPod into her. Up to you really.’ Tony shrugged again as if it was nothing. Truth was he wasn’t sure why Steve didn’t seem to like what he’d done.

Steve gently set the player on the table and watcher her roll around on her wheels. ‘She’s real cute, Tony.’

‘You think so?’

‘Definitely. Thank you, Tony. Just need to think of a name for her.’ Steve crouched down, his arms resting on the table, so he could watch her better. Tony joined him as the little bot turned in a circle, music blaring from her speakers. ‘What should I call her?’

‘No idea, Rogers. She’s your bot.’

‘Yeah, she is,’ Steve grinned, running his fingers over the bot’s side. She trilled at him, shivering at his touch, and rolling closer to Steve. ‘I’m sure I’ll think of something. You surprised me, Tony. I didn’t think you’d be able to fix her.’

‘Especially ‘cause you didn’t really want me to.’

‘That too,’ Steve kissed Tony’s jaw. ‘Thank you. I love her. I love you.’

‘Love you too. I’m going to bed.’

‘Good idea.’

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how much I like this one but I wanted to do something a little more lighthearted.


End file.
